Chiefs Listed as Favorites to Land Carson Wentz in Free Agency

The Kansas City Chiefs could be on the market for a backup quarterback due to the retirement of Chad Henne following the team's Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles, and no option is being left off the table as far as betting is concerned.

Following an injury-shortened season with the Washington Commanders that saw him throw 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight games, Carson Wentz was recently released by the team. The move saved over $26 million against the salary cap, which made it a relative no-brainer decision for a franchise looking to make progress and possibly get either more established or offer more upside at quarterback. BetOnline recently released their set of odds for Wentz's next team, and the Chiefs are the top club on the list. Here's the full breakdown:

• Chiefs +300
• Buccaneers +400
• Raiders +600
• Panthers, Falcons, Bills, Cardinals +700
• Jets, Texans +800
• Saints +1000
• Any CFL Team +2000
• Any XFL Team +2000

BetOnline isn't the only section of the market getting in on the hypothetical Wentz-to-Kansas-City buzz. On SportsLine's list, the Chiefs rank fifth with +800 odds of bringing the former No. 2 overall pick in to be Patrick Mahomes's new backup ahead of the 2023 regular season. They trail only the Buccaneers (+300), Raiders (+400), Panthers (+500) and Titans (+700) on the odds list and are ahead of the Bills (+900), Cardinals (+1000) and Saints (+1200). 

Wentz has now played seven seasons since entering the league back in 2016, although he's been a shell of his early self in recent years. After throwing 33 touchdowns back in his sophomore campaign, injuries began to take their toll on the former North Dakota State standout and he hasn't been able to replicate that production ever since. 

Wentz was traded from the Eagles to the Indianapolis Colts ahead of the 2021 season and was respectable for parts of the year, but his struggles at the tail end of the campaign were a major reason why the team missed the playoffs. He then got shipped to D.C. and played out this past season with the Commanders, now set to be on his fourth team in as many years.

Behind Mahomes, the Chiefs' backup quarterback situation is murky. Shane Buechele is an exclusive rights free agent and is expected to be back with the team in 2023-24, but he doesn't have the proven experience of a second-string signal-caller and Kansas City counting on either him or Chris Oladokun would be a massive risk. The Chiefs did keep Buechele on the active roster on a weekly basis in order to keep him in the picture in 2022, though, which could be an indication that the team is fond of him.

In a vacuum, Wentz makes some sense for the Chiefs. He's capable of catching lightning in a bottle for short stints and he still has the ceiling of someone who can make a few plays down the stretch of a game. With that said, he's shown over the last few years that he simply can't be trusted to take care of the football or play a winning style of game for any sustained period. That, combined with a price tag that could very well be out of Kansas City's preferred reach, raises serious doubts about the aforementioned odds. It would be a surprise to see Wentz in a Chiefs uniform next season.